Kimi Antonelli had to concede defeat to Lando Norris and George Russell in Dutch GP qualifying, settling for third place at Zandvoort despite believing he had a genuine shot at pole position.
A mistake at Turn 1 on his final flying lap cost him two tenths of a second, a blunder he feels was particularly frustrating given he spent most of the session "on the back foot". The Mercedes driver, who leads the Formula 1 championship by 53 points over Lewis Hamilton, was just under a tenth and a half off pole.
"It was a difficult session for me overall," the six-time grand prix winner said. "I always found myself on the back foot, and then on the last lap I made a mistake in Turn 1, lost a couple of tenths; it was my mistake. It's a shame for that because I had a real shot for pole."
Despite the setback, the 19-year-old remains optimistic for the 72-lap race in North Holland, insisting it's "all to play for". "In Q3, I thought we had a shot; we had a chance," he added. "But when I started the last lap in Q3, I saw I was two tenths down in Sector 1, and I was like, 'this is going to be difficult'. But then I was able to make it up throughout the rest of the lap, so a shame for that. But all to play for tomorrow."
Starting from third, Kimi Antonelli is well placed to challenge for victory, and with a comfortable points lead, he can afford to take some risks.
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